
The Retreat that Never Ends: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
“The spiritual life, our relationship with God, is eternal and never-ending. Similarly, the Spiritual Exercises have no ‘end’.” – Debra Black
“The spiritual life, our relationship with God, is eternal and never-ending. Similarly, the Spiritual Exercises have no ‘end’.” – Debra Black
“Even some saints had to endure long periods of time without a quality confessor or spiritual director. It was painful for them too, but God can handle that.” – Fr. John Bartunek
“That means that each time we shake off the drowsiness or swat away the intrusive worries or recollect our wandering thoughts, we are saying yes to God—again. And again. And again.” – Claire Dwyer
“Our free will is a gift from God. Our yes is precious, and it deserves to be protected so that it is given away with perfect freedom, joy, and generosity of spirit.” – Claire Dwyer
“There are as many kinds of spiritual direction as there are spiritual directors. And there are as many “schools” of spiritual direction as there are families of spirituality within the Church.” – Fr. John Bartunek
“We want to make the best decisions possible, decisions for good—for the best—outcomes. The glory and terrifying responsibility of being made in God’s image and likeness is that we have the freedom to choose.” – Claire Dwyer
“Discerning God’s action and invitations in one’s life requires that kind of intensely personal and personalized dialogue. A group setting, with one spiritual director and a bunch of directees, would significantly change that essential dynamic.” – Fr. John Bartunek
“In those cases where I can easily avoid something that I know will be a very strong temptation for me, I need to do what I can to avoid it.” – Fr. John Bartunek
“It is irrefutable that every follower of Jesus needs spiritual direction in their lives according to the workings of grace, Divine providence, individual needs, and circumstances. There are scenarios where members of Christ’s faithful have a need for regular, consistent, life-long spiritual direction.” – Fr. Matthew MacDonald
“The Church envisions various scenarios when spiritual direction is needed in the lives of all the faithful.” – Fr. Matthew MacDonald